A large number of aspirants have shown interest in vying for the position of Member of County Assembly (MCA) in Garissa County in the August 2017 elections.
Currently, the position of MCA requires an aspirant to be a registered voter and satisfy any educational level including secondary level since the Constitution and County Government Act do not specify academic qualifications for an MCA post.
Majority of the aspirants who have shown interest in the position are young men, high school leavers and even KCSE candidates. Many of these aspirants have been attracted to vie for the seat due to high allowances a Member of County Assembly enjoys.
These include hefty sitting allowances, special assembly duty allowance, car loan and mortgages.
Garissa Township is among the most competitive wards in the County with more than twenty aspirants eyeing to unseat the current MCA Abdifatah Kassim Hussein.
Other wards in Garissa County which are seen to be also competitive include Waberi, Balambala, Galbet and Iftin.